Evanesce (minor reconstruction)

22. Abode

"Jack?" Ana instantly snapped round to see his eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling as if he couldn't make any other movements.

"Yeah, baby?" His husky voice, only just audible as the beating of her heart accelerated from just the sound of his voice.

"Fuck..." Mumbled Doug from behind, his own eyes lightening up at his best friend before him. His stomach doing backflips, wanting to pick him up and embrace him, but instead keeping the same composure he was always able to do.

Rushing her way over to his bedside, Ana towered over him, checking if it really was him that was speaking or if she had actually been assigned to a mental hospital recently.

"Are... Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Setting into panic mode, Ana furrowed around searching for something that would make him any more comfortable. "Are you hungry? Do you need food, water, more pillows? What about–"

"Sex? Yeah babe, that'd be so good right now." Jack lightly chuckled but wincing soon after from the pain deep in his chest.

"Jack..." Ana smiled with an open mouthed grin just from hearing his speech and how he was finally talking back to her.

Sharing a moment of complete happiness for just a few moments, it disappeared just as soon as it all happened. Jack's eyes slowly began sealing shut once more as his breathing slowed down again, almost as if he was falling back into it at any second.

"Jack..." quietly mumbled Ana again, pleading that he was still there and not leaving her behind again, in such a way that she couldn't bear not hearing the sound of his low, scratchy voice.

With a sharp inhale of breath and a quick withdraw, his head tilted slightly into her direction – his eyes still remained shut.

"Yeah, babe?" Although his eyelids were closed, it felt as if he continued to follow the movements of the girl perched beside him, "I'm just tired." He responded before giving her the time to ask him anything else.

"Please Jack..."

"Hey," his hand swiftly made its way over on top of her own, to hold them in a clasp and squeezing tight, "it's okay now, I promise." Wrapping her fingers around his as they continued in an interlocked way, Ana refused to draw away from him: too afraid it would happen again.

"I'm just tired, babe. I'm not going anywhere again..." He softly spoke, smiling soon after at how he hadn't been able to keep away from her all this time, and he wasn't going to stop that anytime soon either.

Lightly chuckling at his sleepy daze, Ana gently began pulling her hand away from under his hold to try and make it somewhat easier for him to sleep without hurting.

"No, please don't." His meek voice was enough to make any heart beat right out of their chest. How his face looked so pure and innocent without the knowledge of his background, the complete vulnerability that he showed, gripping onto the hand tighter, begging for her to stay.

And it was then that she truly understood what he meant. He wasn't just tired, he was exhausted. From everything, and perhaps it was only now that he could lay peacefully without the fear of being distracted away from what he truly wanted to do: escape. It was all just too physically and mentally draining – for anyone.

"Hey, hey, it's alright." The sweet, feminine voice hushed, feeling another strong squeeze, "I'm going to be here when you wake up in the morning." Outstretching her arm to a nearby chair, Ana pulled one behind herself before settling down to what she knew would be a long night ahead. "Just get some sleep," she softly told, resting her head on his bedside: close to his own.